Tube transfer mechanism



Jan. 13, 1959 H. w. ROEBER TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HENRY W. ROEBER WM I l I Filed Aug. 9, 1956 ATTORNE;

Jan. 13, 1959 Filed Aug. 9, 1956 H. W; ROEBER TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HENRY w. ROEBER BY ATTORNE Jan. 13, 1959 H. w. ROEBER TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 9, 1956 HENRY W. ROEBER ATTORNEY H W. ROEBER TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM Jan. 13, 1959 Filed Aug. 9, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HENRY w. ROEBER BY ATTORNEY Jan. 13, 1959 H. w. ROEBER' 2,868,240 TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Aug. 9, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HENRY w. ROEBER ATTORNEY United States iatentO 2,868,240 TUBE TRANSFER MECHANISM Henry Roeber, Emporium, Pa assignor to Sylvania Elietctric Products Inc.,' a corporation of Massachuse Application August 9, 1956, Serial No. 603,150

6 Claims. (Cl. 141-65) The invention relates to mechanism at a tube transfer station at which a tubulated bulb is transferred from an upper turret portion, on which the bulb is sealed to a stem mount, into a tube exhaust port in a casing on a lower and greater diametered portion of the turret. While held In the port the final processing steps on the tube are performed, as evacuation thereof and sealing oil the bulb;

An object of the invention is to provide for a simple mechanism to remove a partially completed electron tube from a support near the peripheral edge of a portion of a turret of small diameter and a high elevation, invert the same and insert a tubulation attached to the inverted tube into a second support near the peripheral edge of the turret where it is of larger diameter and lower in elevation.

A second object of the invention is to provide pusher meansto ensure the final downward position of the tube in the second support.

Another object of the invention is to provide for means for positioning a conduit over the second support to receive debris blown therefrom prior to insertion of the tubulation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means to enable the pusher means to be-removed out of the path of the debris conducting means which is positioned over the second support when the turret reaches the tube transfer position and out of the path or the bulb transfer mechanism. i

Yet another object of theinvention is to provide means for preventing the opening of a suction port in the event a new tubulation is not in preparation for insertion into the second support. j 1

These and other objects will become apparent on con sideration of the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: i

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view of the machine showing the course of a partially completed electron bulb as it is 'being s hifte'd from one turret portion to another.

Fig. *2 isan elevational view of mechanism, partly in section; for effecting the'transfer of the tube.

Fig. 3 isa plan-view of-the transfer mechanism.

Fig. 4 is 'a-view, partly in section, disclosing themeehanism for operating a primary set of tubulation grasping aws.

*Fig. 5 is a plan View of a pair of secondary jaws forming part of the transfer mechanism together with operating mechanism associated therewith.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of mechanism for vertically shifting the pair of secondary jaws.

Fig. 7 is a view of fluid control mechanism associated with any second support which may be located at the transfer station.

. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of tube push down mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through an exhaust and blow out port with associated control mechanism.

Fig. 10 isa section on the line ill- 10 of Fig. 9,and

Fig. 11 is a detail view of a latch associated with vacuum control mechanism.

. Referring to the drawings in greater detail, in Fig. 1 there is illustrated the general motion of a tabulated bulb 20-22 from oif a sealing pedestal 24 on a turret to a final position, whereat the tubulation 22 of the bulb is insertedin a ported casing 26 on a lower and larger diametered portion of the turret. The type of machine to which the transfer and alliedmechanism of the invention is applied is well known in the art and needs no further description. It is known in the art as a double turret sealex, the word sealex being a trade name and not a trademark. Still referring to the diagram, it will be noted that the bulb is first grasped by a primary set of jaws 28, 29 which move inward toward each other to grasp the tubulated portion 22 of the bulb at about midway of the Considering Figs. 2 and 3, the pair of primary jaws is shown as mounted on an arm 32 fixed on a stub shaft .34 rotatively mounted in bearings 35 on the end of bracket 36 fixed to a stationary part of the machine. The pedestal 24 and casing 26 are mounted on the turret fragmentally shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and3. The details of the casing 26 with its port 27 are shown in Fig. 9.

. Considering Fig. 4, it will :be noted that each of the jaws 28 and 29 is mounted rigid with apair of intermeshing gears .38 and 39, the gear 39 also meshing with a rack 40 'r'nounted fast on a piston rod .42 integral with a piston with slotted skirt 44 in .a' cylinder 46 mounted on the arm 32. In Fig. 3, it will be seen that a hose 448 or the like, connects with aduct 50 extending through the pivot of the arm to the cylinder so that fluid pressure maybe fed to the cylinder and released therefrom in all positions of the arm. The outlet of the duct at the cylinder is in line .with the slot in the skirt to allow for ample displacement of the piston. A pin 52 and retractile spring 54 serve to restorethe jaws to open positionwhen fluid pressure is released from the cylinder. The flow of fluid pressure to and from the cylinder is controlled through a valve controlled by a main cam shaft.

The swinging of the arm 32 is effected by a gear 56 fast on the stub shaft 34, said gear meshing with a gear sector 58 fixed to a pin-6il journalled in fixed bearings 62. The sector has a crank arm 64 connectedby a telescopic spring link 6 6, such as is well known in the art, to a bent lever arm 68 pivoted on a vertical shaft70 mountedin bearings on a fixed "part of the machine, the arm being provided with a-roller 72 riding in a grooved cam track 74, see Fig. 2,-in the underside of a cam 76. The spring link provides for two-way overtravel of the gear sector, but the arm itself is stopped at proper angular positions by resilient bumpers 78 and 80in cylinders integral with the arm 32 engagingparts integralwith the bracket 36.

The "cam on the cam shaft controlling the admission of fluid to the cylinder 46 is so contoured that the jaws 28, ilihwill closetabout the tubulation 22'when the turret has completed its indexing movement whereupon the cam rigid with a shaft 81 pinned to gear 82, thegear 82 meshing with a gear 84 pinned to a shaft 85 fixed to the second jaw 31 of the pair. The gear 84 meshes with a rack 86 fast on a piston 88 of a cylinder 90 operative to close the jaws, the cylinder being fed with fluid pressure through the intermediary of a conduit 92. Fluid through conduit 92 is controlled by a cam operated valve similar to the control of fluid through conduit 48. A spring 93, Fig. 6, coiled about shaft 81 tends to open the jaws. The jaws 30, 31 and the operating mechanism just described are all mounted on a vertically reciprocatable carriage 94 slidable on posts 96 and 98 fixedly mounted on a stationary part of the machine. To effect vertical reciprocation of the carriage there is provided a crank arm 100, see Fig. 2, pivotally mounted in a bracket 102, on a fixed part of the machine, the arm 100 at one end having a follower sliding in a track 101m the bracket 94 and its other end being integral with a second arm 104 connected via a link 1116 with a bent lever 108. The lever 108 is cam operated and pivoted on a stub shaft 109.

The lever is operated by a cam 110 fixed on a cam shaft 112 acting against a cam follower roller 114 on the lever. The cam shaft 112 is driven in synchronism with turret indexing and is gear connected with a vertical cam shaft 116 to which thecarn 76 is secured.

Mechanism is provided to ensure that when the tubution is transferred to the second pair of fluid pressure operated jaws 38 and 31, the upwardly turned base of the tube shall be thrust downwardly through the jaws to ensure the proper height of the bulb above the exhaust port after the tubulation is thrust into the port subsequently to attain proper bombardment of the parts within the tube and proper sealing off of the tubulation. When the turret is indexed so that an exhaust port is in tubulation receiving position, the friction on the tubulation, as

it is being inserted, is light while the frictional grip of the jaws 30, 31 on the tubulation is heavier. Therefore, after the tubulation is properly positioned in the jaws by the push down, it remains so properly positioned when inserted in the exhaust port. To provide for the vertical push down action and to provide for timed swinging of the push down mechanism out of the way of the swinging arm 32 as it inverts the tube and brings it to position to be grasped by the second pair of jaws 30, 31, the following mechanism is provided:

Mounted on the shaft 116 at its top is a disc 118 having a face earn 119 of variable height extending from its lower face. Coacting with this face cam is a lever 120 having at one end a follower riding against the cam and at its other end a second follower riding in a trackway 122 on a sleeve 124 slidable and rotatable on post 96. Projecting horizontally from the sleeve 124 is a push down arm 126, carrying at its forward end a vertical push down plunger 128 which may be adjusted in the arm 126 by a suitable set screw 130. The lower face of the push down plunger 128 will engage the tops of the lead-in pins of the tube and force the tubulation to slide downwardly through the jaws 30 and 31 until the bulb has been thrust downwardly to the desired position. To swing the pusher in and out of the path of movement of the'swinging arm 32, see Fig. 8, there is mounted on the post 96 a pair of spaced apart upper and lower collars 132 and 134, and a rigid bar 136 is fixedly attached to these collars, the bar snugly and slidably engaging a fork 138 extending from the sleeve 124. As a result when the collar 134 isoscillated, by means soon to be described, the collar 132 will oscillate therewith and by reason of engagement of the bar 136 with the fork 138, so will the sleeve 124 and its hold down arm 126. On the other hand when the sleeve 124 is moved along the post 96, the interfitting bar 136 and fork 138 ensure solely rectilinear motion of the sleeve. The means for oscillating the hold down comprises an extension 140 on the collar 134, a resilient extensible link 142 universally connected to the extension 140 and, see Fig. 2., to crank'arm 144 fixed to a vertical shaft 145 rotatably mounted on a. bearing 146 fixed to dexed to the loading position.

the machine frame, a second crank arm 148 also fixed to vertical shaft and having a cam follower 150, and a cam 152 on the vertical cam shaft 116 coacting with the cam follower. A spring 154, stretched between a pin on arm 148 and a fixed part of the frame, is provided to ensure contact of the cam follower with its cam.

Means are also provided at the loading station being described, to remove the tubulation of a previously sealed ofi? tube and other debris remaining in the port. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the type of machine here illustrated has an index position prior to the loading station at which the tubulation is sealed near its juncture with the bulb, and the bulb is removed, but the exhaust tubulation remains in the port. As the turret, see Fig. 3, indexes toward the loading station, the air sealing mechanism about the tubulation is released in well known manner to enable easy removal of the tubulation. In this invention, the tubulation is blown out of the port by mechanism to be described and blown into a conduit shiftable over the port to receive the blown out tubulation and other debris and movable out of the way to permit tubulation and bulb insertion into the port.

The conduit is here shown, see Figs. 2 and 3, as an inverted J-shaped duct 156 pivotally mounted in a bearing 158 in a fixed part of the machine and shiftable over the-casing 26 and away therefrom by reason of a collar 160 fixed on the duct having an extension 161 equipped with a cam follower 162. The cam follower rides in a cam 164 fixed to the cam shaft 116. Opposite walls of the duct 156, see Fig. 9, are vertically slotted at its lower end as at 168 to enable the duct to swing over the port and tubulation retained therein after the turret has in- Within theport there are tubulation clamping rings 169 made of'elastic material, such, as neoprene, spaced apart by metallic spacer 170. When the duct is swung over the port the rings 169 are not clamped to the tubulation 22 since the nut 172 had been backed off, as is known in the art. Therefore if compressed air were admitted to the port as via filter 176 and duct 178, the tubulation 22 would be blown out of the port and out through the duct 156, to a suitable vessel at the outlet of the duct near the bearing 158. Compressed air may be admitted to the port, see Figs. 7" and 9 by shifting of a slide duct 180 to the right, so that the end of the duct engages against the end of the stem 181 of valve 182 and thrusts it to the right. Thereupon compressed air admitted to a hose line or conduit 184 via a cam controlled valve flows through passageway 186 in the slide duct 180, passageway 188 in the valve 182, out past the valve seat into a chamber 190, thence into duct 1'74 past the filter 176 and out through duct 178. The duct 174 is closed to the exhaust pump connected to the lower right hand end of duct 192 by reason that the suction existing in duct 192 maintains the valve seal 194 of valve 195 closed against the seat 196. A spring 198 reacting between valves 195 and 182 normally tends to maintain the duct 188.cut offfrom the chamber and any suction that exists therein, as when the valve is displaced from its scat.

The means for moving the slide 180 in toward the valve 182, see Fig. 3, comprises an car 200 affixed to the slide and extending through a slot in the slideway 202 which supports the slide 180. To the ear is pivoted a resiliently collapsible link 204 whose other end is pivoted to a bell crank 286 pivoted on a fixed part of the machine, the free end of the bell crank being provided with a cam follower 208 engaging a cam 210 fixed on shaft 112. A suitable spring 211 serves to maintain the cam follower 208 against the earn 218. The cam 210 is so contoured that after a short interval of compressed air being applied to the duct 182 to expel the remnant of tubulation 22 remaining in the port after seal-off of the tube, the slide 180 is retracted sufficiently to allow slide valve 182 to function under influence of spring 198 to close off communication between passageway 188 and chamber 190. Then after the duct 156 had been removed and a new bulb attached tubulation had been inserted into the port, the earn 210 further retracts slide 180 to cause a hooked bridge member 212 to engage a button 214 threaded into the valve stem 215 of valve 195 to open the port to suction existing in duct 192. When the port is properly loaded with a tubulation and the button is retracted by the bridge, latching mechanism becomes efiective to hold the valve 195 in its open suction position. If not so latched, ,then during turret indexing, suction will be applied to duct 1'92 and the valve 195 will be sucked to closed position. The latching mechanism comprises a detent 216 pivotally mounted on a pin 218 at each port and urged by a torsion spring 220 against the peripheral surface of the valve 195 so that when the valve 195 is pulled out by the bridge 212, the detent 216 will be forced into a groove 222 and thus prevent the suction valve from again closing, a shoulder 224 on the valve then engaging a face of the detent. As the turret indexes from unloading station toward the loading station a k'ickout finger 226, fixed to a stationary portion of the machine, engages the successive detents to release the same and allow all of the suction valves 195 to close under action of suction in conduit 192, all preparatory to blow out ofthe remnant tubulation 22.

Means are also provided to prevent opening of the valve 195 in the even-t no tubulation is grasped by the second pair of jaws 30, 31. Considering Figs. 5 and 7, it will be noted that fast on the shaft 85 of one of the jaws is a control finger 228 operative to close a switch .230 mounted on the slidable carriage 94 when and only when the jaws 3t 31 move beyond the position wherein they grasp a tubulation. In the absence of a tubulation, the jaws move further in toward one another, and the finger 228 then engages and closes switch 230. Closure of the switch energizes the solenoid 232, Fig. 7, pulling up on the core 234 which engages a recess 236 in slide 180, operative to prevent the spring link 204 from pulling back on the slide 1'80 sufiiciently to cause bridge 212 to engage and pull back button 214. Therefore, in the absence of a tubulation 22, the suction valve 195 will not open, thus preventing undue laboring on the suction pump and flooding of the suction ducts 192 with air at high pressures. v

The exhaust .port in casing 26 has its gaskets 169 released and clamped about the tubulation in conventional fashion by rotation of control arm 238 which is firmly clamped about the nut 172.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An electron tube processing machine comprising a turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of the turret, each having a combined blow-out and suction port, a conduit mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis and movable between a position where its mouth is over a port and where it is removed therefrom, a blow out valve in said casing leading to said port having a radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stem and operative to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said port and the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and on the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the suction valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, and means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port.

2. An electron tube processing machine comprising a turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of the turret, each having a combined blow out and suction port, a conduit mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis and movable between a position where its mouth is over a port and where it is removed therefrom, a blow out valve in said casing leading to said port and having a radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stern and movable to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said port and the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and on the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the suction valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port including a pair of opposed jaws mounted on a support and adapted to ,grasp the tubulation, means for moving the support to position the tubulation in a port, a switch mounted on the support, an arm movable with one of the jaws effective to close the switch only when the jaws are permitted, by the absence of a tubulation, to move beyond the position where they would grasp a tubulation between the jaws, an electromagnet energized by said switch, and means operated by said electromagnet movable into blocking engagement with said suction valve stem to prevent opening of the suction valve when no tubulation is present at the jaws.

3. An electron tube processing machine comprising a turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of the turret, each having a combined blow out and suction port, a conduit mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis and movable between a position where its mouth is over a port and where it is removed therefrom, a blow out valve in said casing leading to said port and having a radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stem and movable to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said portend the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and on the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the sucti-on valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port including a pair of opposed pivoted jaws mounted on a support and adapted to grasp the tubulation, means for moving the support vertically downward to position the tubulation in a port, a switch mounted on the support, an arm movable with one of the jaws effective to close the switch only when the jaws are permitted, by the absence of a tubulation, to move a tubulation between the jaws, and a solenoid energized by said switch, the core of said solenoid moving into blocking engagement with said suction valve stem to prevent opening of the suction valve when no tubulation is present at the jaws and which is to be inserted into said port.

4. An electron tube processing machine comprising an indexible turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of theturret, each having a combined blow out and suction port, a conduit above the turret, said casings being positionable in sequence beneath the conduit, a blow out valve in said casings leading to said port having a radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stem and operative to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said port and the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and on the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the suction valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, and means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port.

5. An electron tube processing machine comprising an indexible turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of the turret, each having a combined blow out and suction port, a conduit above the turret, said casings being positionable in sequence beneath the conduit, a blow out valve in said casing leading to said port and having a .radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stem and movable to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said port and the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and on the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the suction valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port including a pair of opposed jaws mounted on a support and adapted to grasp the tubulation, means for moving the support to position the tubulation in a port, a switch mounted on the support, an arm movable with one of the jaws effective to close the switch only when the jaws are permitted, by the absence of a tubulation, to move beyond the position where they would grasp a tubulation between the jaws, an electromagnet energized by said switch, and means operated by said electromagnet movable into blocking engagement with said suction valve stem to prevent opening of the suction valve when no tubulation is present at the jaws.

6. An electron tube processing machine comprising an indexible turret with a series of casings arranged circularly of the turret, each having a combined blow out and suction port, a conduit above the turret, said casings being'positionable in sequence beneath the conduit, a blow out valve in said casing leading to said port and having a radially extending valve stem normally biased to closed position, -a passageway through said valve stem leading to the valve, a blow out tube connected with a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure and movable into contact with said valve stem and with its bore in alignment with the passageway in the stem and movable to shift the valve stem to open the valve, a suction conduit, a suction valve in said casing between said port and the suction conduit, said suction valve having a valve stem arranged radially of the turret and extending toward the blow out tube, interfitting connections on the blow out tube and 011 the suction valve stem to enable the suction valve stem to be shifted and the suction valve opened on movement of the blow out tube away from contact with the blow out valve stem, resilient means for advancing and retracting the blow out tube, means for inserting a tubulated bulb into the port including a pair of opposed pivoted jaws mounted on a support and adapted to grasp the tubulation, means for moving the support vertically downward to position the tubulation in a port, a switch mounted on the support, an arm movable with one of the jaws effective to close the switch only when the jaws are permitted, by the absence of a tubulation, to move a tubulation between the jaws, and a solenoid energized by said switch, the core of said solenoid moving into blocking engagement with said suction valve stem to prevent opening of the suction valve when no tubulation is present at the jaws and which is to be inserted into said port.

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